Ball target games are common in carnivals, fairs, and amusement parks. Balls are fed in sequence to contestant guns, which are aimed at targets in a target area. A general object of the present invention is to provide a device for retrieving the balls from the target area, and for accelerating the balls while feeding the same to the guns. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device of the described character that is adapted to be disposed entirely beneath the target area, and is thereby particularly well-suited for use in both permanent and portable game installations, that handles the balls in such a way as to minimize jamming or breakdown, thereby putting at least one of the guns out of service and costing the operator contestant fees, that can be readily adjusted by an operator for controlling both velocity and frequency of ball firing from the guns, that can be readily turned on and off by an operator so as to save energy when not in use while at the same time being immediately ready for use when desired, and that is designed to provide reliable operation over an extended operating life. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the described character that can be employed in connection with balls of differing sizes, and that employs compressed air for accelerating the balls.
A ball game in accordance with the present invention includes a target area, at least one gun responsive to an operator for firing balls into the target area, and a device for feeding balls in sequence to the gun. In accordance with the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, this device comprises an opening disposed beneath the target area for receiving balls that fall by gravity from the target area, and a turret positioned beneath the opening and having a circumferential array of peripheral openings each sized to receive one of the balls. The turret is rotated about its axis such that balls that fall by gravity onto the turret are urged by centrifugal force toward the peripheral openings. An accelerator has a ball inlet disposed beneath the turret at a position for alignment with each of the peripheral openings in sequence as the turret rotates, and an air inlet connected to a source of air under pressure. The accelerator is so constructed that flow of air under pressure through the air inlet assists force of gravity in drawing balls into the accelerator ball inlet from the turret peripheral openings, and accelerates the balls during passage through the accelerator toward the accelerator outlet. The accelerator outlet is connected to one of the guns so as to feed to the gun balls accelerated in sequence by the accelerator.
A funnel is positioned above the turret in the preferred embodiment of the invention for feeding balls that fall by gravity onto the turret radially inwardly of the peripheral openings, so that the balls migrate radially outwardly on the turret toward the peripheral openings while at the same time assuming a generally planar disposition on the surface of the turret. A cylindrical wall surrounds the periphery of the turret to prevent balls from falling off the turret, and a bracket is disposed on the wall in alignment with the accelerator ball inlet to prevent passage of more than one ball to the accelerator through each peripheral opening as it aligns with the accelerator inlet. The accelerator in the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a cylindrical tube having a plurality of air jet passages extending through the tube at an acute angle to the inlet end of the tube, and at a tangential angle to the axis of the tube for imparting spin to the balls as they are accelerated through the tube. A collar surrounds the tube, and has an open internal recess that communicates with the air jet passages and an air inlet fitting for connection to the air pressure source.
The air pressure source in the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a compressor that is connected to the accelerator air inlet through a pressure regulator that is adjustable for adjusting acceleration imparted to the balls as they are accelerated through the tube. The turret is rotated by a variable speed electric motor that is adjustable for adjusting timing between balls fed to the accelerator, and from the accelerator through a flexible hose to the gun. In the disclosed embodiment of the invention, there are a plurality of contestant guns, and a corresponding plurality of turrets, etc. each individually associated with one of the guns.